Army Dreamers
Amidst modern day conscriptions, we don’t care that our country ‘needs us’...
A new meaning for an old anthem
Back in 1990, Kate Bush's "Army Dreamers" was banned by the BBC for its anti-war sentiments during the Gulf War, joining a list of 67 other songs simultaneously banned from BBC airplay. With lyrics that highlighted the potential devastation to be found within a war, it’s banning not only illustrated the extent to which censorship can occur on such a systemic level but demonstrated the ways in which songs can grow more powerful and relevant when authorities attempt to silence it. Norwegian songwriter Pål Knutsen, better known as Moddi wrote musings reflecting on this track, stating,
"While most of the songs on the album are explicitly political, it was difficult for me to see how ‘Army Dreamers’ posed a threat at first glance. Initially, I thought banning it was ridiculous. However, when I sang the song, I absorbed its message. The lyrics are simple, conveying pure and profound motherly sorrow, a sorrow that is impossible to resist. I then realized why the song was deemed dangerous: it evokes inescapable compassion. Kate Bush was not imprisoned like Pussy Riot or killed like Víctor Jara, but her message was still silenced. This song made me realize that censorship extends beyond violent suppression. It occurs quietly, in our homes and on our radios, every day, and we rarely discuss it."
But when we fast forward to today, where the internet serves as an historical archive for all things that lay dormant having been left in the past, the relevance of the song is reignited on social media that’s being regulated (not by politicians with their own agendas), but a passionate nonconformist younger generation, who could rely on the truth and transparency of the song’s political message. Specifically, the song’s depiction of the horrors of war is seen to resonate with the devastation of current geo-political humanitarian crises.
So whilst the song served more as a cautionary tale for those young British soldiers going off to fight in a war that wouldn’t start, or end with them, the images that come to mind tell stories of wasted lives caught in the crossfire of someone else’s wars, a sentiment that resonates with those crises occurring in Palestine, Congo and Sudan. In this way, the re-popularisation of the song signifies an opposition to unnecessary violence, where it’s initial banning hasn’t prevented the survival of it’s message.
Sunak’s conscriptions
But as western nations remain committed to expansionism and destruction in developing countries, the realisation has clearly occurred amongst the most powerful that those voices that have been so long overlooked belong to the bodies of those they’d sooner seek to use as cannon fire for their own pursuits, just as it has always been. The only difference is that now however, the honour and patriotism that inspired a dedicated service from citizens in generations past has withered, with most young people knowing that they would never willingly fight for ‘their’ countries.
Still, in the UK, as is the same with much of western world, these countries current leader (Rishi Sunak) seeks to exploit unique vulnerabilities for his own advantage in the event that it should come to war.
Last week, Sunak pledged mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if the Conservative Party wins the July 4 general election. In a fashion that simultaneously exploits the most financially vulnerable during a cost-of-living crisis, Sunak says he aims to ‘provide opportunities’ for young people and ‘unite society in a world of growing uncertainty’. The proposed plan would offer two options: a full-time 12-month placement in the armed forces or volunteering one weekend a month for a year in community services. This initiative, (estimated to cost £2.5 billion annually), would involve roles in logistics, cybersecurity, and civil operations, as well as supporting local services and charities. A royal commission will design the program, with a pilot starting in September 2025, followed by a “National Service Act” to enforce the measures by the end of the next parliamentary term. Amongst others, the Labour Party criticized the plan as a costly and desperate move, pointing out previous similar schemes and accusing the Conservatives of depleting the armed forces. In a time where everyone is essentially broke, Rishi Sunak aims to bribe those made uniquely vulnerable by austerity measures in order to a) strengthen the UK’s military power, and b) secure his place in a general election that is proving to be more and more in support of labour by the day.
(He's killing two birds with one stone)…
Naturally there will be exceptions to the current resistance to this effort that we’re seeing from young people and content creators everywhere, but the overarching sentiment is incredibly simple. Young people don’t want to risk their lives for a government and a nation they don’t believe in, particularly as they bear witness to their country taking part in or being complicit in the suffering of other nations. Nowadays, people are educated enough to know their countries’ past, and to see the clear intentions behind plans for its future.
So as the battle-lines are drawn, this Prime Minister will find the stage almost empty. Perhaps he and his fellow MPs should give it a shot,
Here’s to this nations great warriors!.
Asisa
Sources
https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/discovery/moddi-army-dreamers Army Dreamers banned.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/26/uks-sunak-promises-mandatory-national-service-for-18-year-olds-if-elected Al - Jazeera Rishi Sunak Mandatory National Service